Brianic made a big deal about in the "new" series last year. "It's definitely my belt and my technology, but I just haven't built it yet." But I don't remember the belt being referenced as Brianiacs in the 80s even though it most certainly was. It's like you get 16 issues into Manhunter, and there's an origin episode on Kate's uniform how she stole all this crap from the evidence locker at the GCPD and... Fuck me, but those are Jean Paul Valley's Dark Batman Claws!
This might not be what you are thinking about. But remember the Millennium Series from '87, '88? The Guardians of the Universe fostering mankind into their next step in the evolutionary ladder so that they can be the new guardians of the universe? The short lady from (really really) Red China? Booster was her great great great great... great great grandson. Upon meeting her descendant she says something like... "A giant leap forward, and 500 years? Not impressed."
Booster has alot of potential...I thought the SMALLVILLE ep could have been a great backdoor pilot if it was in the SMALLVILLE universe.
^That was actually the idea behind it, they were hoping they could do a show with him and Blue Beetle, but nothing ever became of it.
Because it was awful. The armour looked stupid and then to actually have a camera inside the fishbowl head piece to show Jamie freaking out and sweating to the point he should be concerned about drowning... Icky. Besides, Booster was acting far too capable to be truly Boostery. There's a Guy on You Tube who did a whole bunch of JLI short movies. They nailed Booster and... http://www.fanboytheatre.com/id265.html A Question mystery movie where he's trying to figure out who killed Blue Beetle.
Actually the original idea was that "Booster" would be a back door pilot for a "Blue Beetle" spin off...no Booster appearance. The original title of the episode was "Blue and Gold" and Geoff Johns was supposed to write it months before he actually did but got bogged down of course with the amount of work he was doing at the time. They ended up doing the test footage that was "leaked" on the internet and probably posted in the Smallville news thread I can't remember now but nothing has ever come from it.